Qantas A350 Completes 24-Hour Melbourne-Toulouse Flight in Project Sunrise Test

A Qantas Airbus A350 flew nonstop from Melbourne to Toulouse in 24 hours and 24 minutes, testing the aircraft for planned direct London flights.

A Qantas Airbus A350-1000ULR flew nonstop from Melbourne to Toulouse, France, touching down 24 hours and 24 minutes after departure — a flight spanning roughly 17,000 kilometers. The aircraft is an ultra-long-range variant of the A350, built by Airbus at its Toulouse headquarters, and the test flight drew enough online attention to make it the most-watched plane on flight tracking websites during the journey. The flight is part of Qantas's Project Sunrise initiative, which aims to introduce nonstop commercial services between Australia's east coast and London. The Melbourne-to-Toulouse route mirrors the kind of extreme distance such a service would require, making it a practical proving run for the aircraft's range and systems. Airbus manufactures its A350 at Toulouse, so the test also served as a delivery or evaluation flight in addition to its Project Sunrise role. The A350-1000ULR designation indicates the plane is specifically configured for ultra-long-range operations, with extended fuel capacity relative to the standard variant.

Why it matters

If Project Sunrise proceeds to commercial service, it would make London-to-Sydney one of the longest nonstop passenger routes in the world, eliminating the need for a stopover in cities like Singapore or Dubai for Australian travelers.

What's next

Qantas has not yet announced a commercial launch date for Project Sunrise direct London flights, making the outcome of further testing and any final aircraft orders the key developments to watch.

Key facts

• The flight from Melbourne to Toulouse lasted 24 hours and 24 minutes
• The route covered approximately 17,000 kilometers nonstop
• The aircraft is an Airbus A350-1000ULR, an ultra-long-range variant
• The flight was the most-watched on flight tracking websites during its journey
• The test is connected to Qantas's Project Sunrise, which targets direct Australia-to-London service
• Toulouse is the home of Airbus's manufacturing and assembly operations

Bias & framing notes

Both sources come from The Guardian and cover the same event from slightly different angles — one emphasizes the duration record, the other the distance and the aircraft's significance for Project Sunrise. Neither source provides a dissenting view or any critical perspective on the project, and there are no independent corroborating outlets in the provided sources, which limits the trust score despite the factual consistency between the two reports.

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